Supporting DoD C4ISR Modular Open
Suite of Standards for hardware convergence
with unmatched aggregate speeds and a
versatile array of RF and optical connectivity.

Elma - so much more.

modular open suite of standards
(CMOSS) activities begun under
the U.S. Army’s Communications-Electronics Research, Development
and Engineering Center (CERDEC).

“SOSA defines the open hardwareplatforms for next-generation vehi-cle systems, and is based on theOpenVPX architecture.”“The VPX market has maturedover the years and somewhat set-tled down with respect to archi-tectures, largely due to VITA 65/OpenVPX,” says Kontron’s Littlefield.

Yet, “there is still a lot of variabil-ity in VPX implementations, andboth interoperability and inter-changeability continue to be issues.”Attacking those challenges are stan-dards working groups for ModularOpen Radio Frequency Architecture(MORA), Future Airborne CapabilityEnvironment (FACE), Sensor OpenSystems Architecture (SOSA), andHardware Open System Technology(HOST)/VITA 84, he says. “It’s notsimply a matter of pin grabs and slotprofiles; it also involves things likesystem design approaches and soft-ware stacks.”Littlefield credits the industryworking groups with driving thingsfrom a functional standpoint, “solv-ing problems in determining whatcomponents best solve design issues/requirements and how these compo-nents are configured. The function-ality is much more complex than inthe ’80s and ’90s when VME (VersaModule Europa) ruled, and thesegroups are doing a great job definingthese functional elements.”

Standing the test of time

Computer on Module (COM) Expressis gaining traction in a wide rangeof defense and avionics applications,and becoming a strong player,Littlefield says. “While one may notimmediately think of COM Expressas a reliable deployable form factorfor aerospace and defense systems,we are seeing it applied to sys-tems in ground vehicles, commer-cial and military fixed-wing aircraft,helicopters, and unmanned aerialvehicles (UAVs),” he says. “The onlyplace I haven’t seen it applied isspacecraft, but it’s probably just amatter of time.

“Stick to industry standards and
design practices; don’t try to be too
inventive in your system design